Techniques for the Measurement of Molecular Weight, Molecular Size and Branching of Polymers using Malvern’s OMNISEC GPC/SEC System

Polymers are ubiquitous throughout industry, in the form of naturally occurring materials, such as cellulose and starch, and synthetic commodities - polystyrene, polyethylene and nylon, for example. As polymer technologies advance, the strength, stability, chemical resistance, and performance modifying properties of these industrially vital materials are meeting increasingly diverse applications. This whitepaper reviews the methods available for measuring the key characteristics of polymers focusing on the benefits and value of gel permeation / size exclusion chromatography (GPC/SEC).